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‘We’re rehearsing a play.’ Michael jumped down from a chair, wielding a wooden sword. ‘It’s all about Nelson fighting the polar bear.’ He straightened his shoulders proudly. ‘I’m Nelson.’
‘Naturally.’ Sebastian inclined his head and then looked across the room towards Peter. ‘And you are...?’
‘A pirate.’
‘In the North Pole?’
‘I challenge Nelson to a duel after the polar bear escapes.’
‘Well, that all sounds excellent. I’m looking forward to it already.’ Sebastian nodded approvingly. ‘Now I don’t suppose you happen to know where your aunt is?’
‘In there.’ Michael gestured towards a door in the opposite wall. ‘She’s making up our beds. So we don’t make any more work for the maids, she says.’
/> ‘Ah.’ Sebastian looked pensively towards the door. After dragging his feet up three staircases, he’d been hoping for an excuse to postpone the task for another day or a few weeks, but his mother was right, Henrietta had a right to the truth.
‘I tell you what...’ he jerked his head at the boys ‘...why don’t you run down to the kitchens for something to eat?’
‘We just had breakfast.’
‘Then it must be time for a snack.’
‘Biscuits?’
‘Naturally.’
He stepped aside, letting them scurry past before making his way reluctantly to the bedroom.
‘You know you don’t have to do that.’ He gestured to the coverlet Henrietta was smoothing over the furthest of the three beds.
‘I know.’ She straightened up with a smile. ‘But it makes me feel better.’
‘I’m glad I found you anyway. I have some news.’
‘Oh.’ A hand crept to her throat. ‘About David?’
‘Ye-es.’ He pulled the letter from his coat pocket. ‘My friend James heard a rumour and went to investigate.’
‘And?’
‘And...’ He cleared his throat, unable to find any way of softening the blow. ‘It seems that when your brother left he went to Bristol and...well, according to what James has heard, he took a ship for America.’
There were several moments of absolute silence as she stared at him, so pale and motionless that it was hard to tell if she were still breathing. She looked frozen.
‘Henrietta?’ He moved back towards her, alarmed by the silence, but she held a hand out, holding him back.
‘He’s gone to America?’ Her voice was different, high-pitched and laced with hurt. The sound of it made his heart wrench.
‘Apparently so.’
‘America...’ Her expression seemed to waver between shock and hurt. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Maybe you ought to sit down?’
‘Why?’ She stared at him as if he’d just told her to go for a swim. ‘What good will that do? How could he just go to America? How could he abandon his sons?’
‘I don’t know. He must have thought he had no choice.’
‘I can’t... I don’t... Argh!’ She swung around, wrenching the quilt and pillows off the nearest bed and stomping on top of them. ‘If he were here, this is what I’d do to him!’ She moved to the next bed, punching her fist into the pillow before hurling it across the room. ‘And this!’
